Mentor volunteers?

ChristopherCoy · Apr 4, 2020

I've shot film, and I've shot digital. I've also lost my way creatively and I'm currently on a journey of RE-self teaching myself, and trying to soul search and determine exactly what my photographic voice is. Through various forms of research and reading things are getting clearer and I'm starting to get inspired.

In a perfect world, I'd have a sprawling dark room with all the equipment and supplies I needed, and a cost would not be an issue. In the real world, I live on a 40' boat full time where space is more of a premium than a NYC apartment, and I work on a measly government employee salary, so I currently shoot ancient (2008) digital technology.

I've just today learned about hybrid workflows, something that I knew existed, but didn't know it was as expansive as it is.

I'm wondering if anyone would volunteer to be a mentor of sorts. Someone whom I could email questions to, and get suggestions from, about developing a hybrid workflow? I'm not looking for someone to spend hours a day answering ridiculously long emails, but rather just point me in general directions. For instance, I had no idea until today, that you could create negatives from digital files, to make contact prints with. It's these sorts of things that I would like to discover, and wouldn't know about unless someone tells me. I'm just trying to keep from polluting the forum with general questions that have probably been asked for years.

Ron789 · Apr 4, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
I've shot film, and I've shot digital. I've also lost my way creatively and I'm currently on a journey of RE-self teaching myself, and trying to soul search and determine exactly what my photographic voice is. Through various forms of research and reading things are getting clearer and I'm starting to get inspired.

Hi Christopher, reading the opening sentences of your post I felt similarity and recognized myself at points in my 40-years photographic career and even today.
Asking for such mentor support is a very valid request.
Reading on, I noticed you mainly talk about techniques. While there is inevitably technique involved in photography, my questions to you would be more like:
...what is the story you want to tell as a photographer?
...what kind of images would you like to make?
...what subjects interest you?
...are photo's your ultimate goal, or would you use photo's to achieve other goals, either for yourself or for others?
Technique is fun, interesting and relevant but in my opinion you also need to figure out for what purpose you make photo's, what you want to express, what you want to show and to whom, and what you want your personal photographic signature to look like.
I would be more than happy to get in touch with you and these would be my first questions.

ChristopherCoy · Apr 4, 2020

Ron789 said:
Hi Christopher, reading the opening sentences of your post I felt similarity and recognized myself at points in my 40-years photographic career and even today.
Asking for such mentor support is a very valid request.
Reading on, I noticed you mainly talk about techniques. While there is inevitably technique involved in photography, my questions to you would be more like:
...what is the story you want to tell as a photographer?
...what kind of images would you like to make?
...what subjects interest you?
...are photo's your ultimate goal, or would you use photo's to achieve other goals, either for yourself or for others?
Technique is fun, interesting and relevant but in my opinion you also need to figure out for what purpose you make photo's, what you want to express, what you want to show and to whom, and what you want your personal photographic signature to look like.
I would be more than happy to get in touch with you and these would be my first questions.

To tell you the truth Ron, those are questions that I'm currently looking to answer myself. As I was just telling someone via PM, I got sober about 1.5 years ago. Although I've been a photographer since I was 15, I've lost my way a few times, and gone periods of a few years at a time being camera-less. Other times I was head over heels in love and wasting money on all kinds of gear and equipment that I didn't have any intentions of ever using properly. After this last year of being sober, I self initiated a learning journey to elevate my creativity and photography without the influences of major social media, or other outside sources, and through that journey I am now starting to learn things about myself as a person that I never realized. It's funny how our creativity sort of mimics our lives, but then it's expected if you think of artistic expression as an extension of ourselves.

Over the next few weeks I'm going to spend some alone thinking about these things, and trying to come up with an answer for myself.

RalphLambrecht · Apr 4, 2020

ChristopherCoy said:
I've shot film, and I've shot digital. I've also lost my way creatively and I'm currently on a journey of RE-self teaching myself, and trying to soul search and determine exactly what my photographic voice is. Through various forms of research and reading things are getting clearer and I'm starting to get inspired.

In a perfect world, I'd have a sprawling dark room with all the equipment and supplies I needed, and a cost would not be an issue. In the real world, I live on a 40' boat full time where space is more of a premium than a NYC apartment, and I work on a measly government employee salary, so I currently shoot ancient (2008) digital technology.

I've just today learned about hybrid workflows, something that I knew existed, but didn't know it was as expansive as it is.

I'm wondering if anyone would volunteer to be a mentor of sorts. Someone whom I could email questions to, and get suggestions from, about developing a hybrid workflow? I'm not looking for someone to spend hours a day answering ridiculously long emails, but rather just point me in general directions. For instance, I had no idea until today, that you could create negatives from digital files, to make contact prints with. It's these sorts of things that I would like to discover, and wouldn't know about unless someone tells me. I'm just trying to keep from polluting the forum with general questions that have probably been asked for years.

pug is full of mentors and nobody minds questions that have been asked before.

ChristopherCoy · Apr 5, 2020

RalphLambrecht said:
pug is full of mentors and nobody minds questions that have been asked before.

I have a local friend who is a photography instructor and really great fine artist, and I've been bombarding her inbox with emails and questions, which she's patiently answered. She's been tremendously helpful suggesting books to read, resources, and insight. I'll continue to turn to her, but wanted to have a couple of people to turn to for different views and opinions.

As I continue on this learning journey I'll definitely turn to pug (I love that nickname).

Mentor volunteers?

ChristopherCoy

Ron789

ChristopherCoy

RalphLambrecht

ChristopherCoy

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